𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝟐𝟐

Arya

I'm not sure if the guards made a mistake, didn't care, or they were ordered to. But instead of shoving Feyre in her cell, they shoved her into mine. Maybe this was mercy, allowing us to bask in each other before our final trial tomorrow. We haven't talked since we got here, only supporting each other right before or after our tasks were completed but we never spoke a word after. Not unless the other was on the brink of dying.

Tonight I helped her get changed from the Court of Nightmares attire to actual clothing. I wiped the makeup off her face gently and let her lay her head on my lap as I ran my fingers through it. It was all done in silence.

Hours later Feyre jolted upright at the footsteps sounding from inside my cell. Rhys stepped out of the shadow, a little surprised that Feyre was with me.

"What do you want?" Feyre demanded.

"A moment of peace and quiet," he snapped, rubbing his temples before making himself comfortable on the ground across from us.

"From what?" she inquired and I watched as if a ball was being passed back and forth between the two. He continued massaging his temples, and he sighed. "From this mess."

"That damned bitch is running me ragged," he went on and dropped his hands from his temples to lean his head against the wall. "You hate me. Imagine how you'd feel if I made you serve in my bedroom. I'm High Lord of the Night Court - not her harlot."

At that, another piece of my heart broke. I swallow, not knowing what to say. Not with Feyre in the room.

After a pause, Feyre inquires, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I came here not thinking you were here Feyre. I wanted to speak to Arya to begin with." Then he drops the swagger and nastiness from his tone as he continues, "I'm tired and lonely. Perhaps I was selfish to come see Arya, if anyone finds out I'm here the punishment would be the same as the last time. Maybe I should just take you back into your cell and speak with you, you're the only person I can talk to without putting myself or others at risk." He let out a low laugh, "How absurd: a High Lord of Prythian and a -"

"You can leave if you're going to insult me."

"But I'm so good at it." He flashed one of his grins. I rolled my eyes and for once interrupted them, "Rhys shut up."

He studies me before sighing. "One wrong move tomorrow and we're all doomed."

"You don't think I know that?" I questioned him a little more harshly than I was intending to.

"She's going to have Feyre go first, at least that's what I think she would do. It's the smart thing to do in her position. She would never say it out loud but we all know she's terrified that you'd win and kill her on the spot and she can't have that."

"If she captured Tamlin's power once, who's to say she can't do it again?" Feyre questions.

"He won't be tricked again so easily," he said, staring up at the ceiling. "Her biggest weapon is that she keeps our powers contained. But she can't access them, not wholly. However, she can control us through them. It's why I've never been able to shatter her mind, why she's not dead already. Arya is truly the only one who can access her full power, but because of technicality, she can not use it to kill Amarantha, not when the bitch holds all of us under her. The moment you break Amaranthat's curse, Tamlin's wrath will be so great that no force in the world will keep him from splattering her on the walls. That's if Arya doesn't get to her first."

I see Feyre shiver from the corner of my eye. "Why do you think I'm doing this?" Rhys questions rhetorically but Feyre is quick with her answer.

"Because you're a monster."

"Yeah? And what do you think of my sister?" he shoots right back. I hold my breath as Feyre shifts uncomfortably on her spot. At her silence, something flashed across Rhys' face and my heart broke a bit more.

"All this time, after she looked out for you, a few words from Tamlin is what -"

"Rhysand." I cut him off with a steel in voice that I didn't think was still in me.

My brother lets out a laugh in disbelief shaking his head. "I'm also a pragmatist Feyre. Working Tamlin into a senseless fury is the best weapon we have against her. Seeing you enter into a fool's bargain with Amarantha was one thing, but when Tamlin saw my tattoo on your arm ..."

"Who's to say he won't splatter you as well?"

"Perhaps he'll try but I have a feeling he'll kill Amarantha first. And Arya would never let that happen. My sister might not be a High Lord or Lady but Tamlin's power would never rival hers, she's that much more powerful than him. But let's not have a repeat of history, shall we?"

"I drug you Feyre, but you don't wonder why I never touch you beyond your waist or arms? It's the only claim I have to innocence, the only thing that will make Tamlin think twice before entering into a battle with me that would cause a catastrophic loss of innocent life. It's the only way I can convince him I was on your side. Believe me, I would have liked nothing more than to enjoy you but there are bigger things at stake than taking a human woman to my bed."

    "Like what?" I raise my brow at Feyre, thinking she'd be yelling at him by now.

    "Like my territory," he said, his eyes glancing at mine. "Like my remaining people, enslaved to a tyrant queen who can end their lives with a single word. Surely Tamlin expressed similar sentiments to you."

    "Why did Amarantha target you? Why make you her whore?" I swallow at the choice of words.

    "Beyond the obvious?" he gestured to his face but his eyes betrayed what his voice was trying to hide. Pain.

    "Our father killed Tamlin's father and his brothers."

    I watched Feyre's face for a reaction, but the haze in her eyes told me she was going over everything Tamlin had told her regarding his family.

    I cleared my throat and swallowed the lump that was threatening to come out. "They've been down here for 50 years, Tamlin's powers have been held captive for as long as but he still had his manor to come home to. Most of them captured here haven't seen the light of day, and haven't seen their families since they were ripped away. Some losing their loved ones.

    "We all have something great to lose down here. Some of them lose themselves to insanity and some of them have to sacrifice and do things they wish to never do to make sure their people stay alive. Rhys could have found another way to execute his plans, preferably not using you as one of his pawns. I don't agree with him, with the bargain he made with you, with the way he parades you out during parties. And you don't even have to forgive him for that. But I also know the desperation that is seeping out of him, desperation to free everybody. A desperation to get everyone home. We've all been dealt with such shitty cards and now we're all just trying to play those shitty cards the best we can to throw down the monster that all our anger should be aimed at."

    It was silent for a while before Feyre let out a breath facing Rhysand, "When you healed my arm ... you didn't need to bargain with me. You could have demanded every single week of the year and I would have said yes."

    A half smile appeared on Rhys' lips. "I know," he said and he nodded at me before vanishing.

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